Winter Snow
by ShirokiKohyo
Summary: An odd girl is part of the Uchiha clan. There's something different about her... Can she melt the brother's hearts, and who will she choose as they all deal with betrayal, abandonment, and sacrifice? SasukeXOCXItachi Better than the summary.
1. Are they real?

**Here's the beginning of my new story! Some things might not be 100% accurate, but I'll do my best! I don't own Naruto, just Yuki!**

**Also, I will occasionally incorporate common Japanese words into it (not often). When I do this, I will put a * mark next to it, and I'll have the translation at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

I was an Uchiha.

But not really.

I was only 6 years old, but I somehow already stood out more than anyone else.

The Uchiha clan… Filled with dark haired, dark eyed, serious people. Our only similarity was our pale skin. Aside from that… I was always standing out, no matter what I did. I could have been mute, but I still was constantly stared at. I could never seem to get used to it.

"Yuki, what are you doing?" My mothers kind voice rang through my ears. I smiled up to her, my large baby blue eyes reflecting the summer sky.

"I'm making you a crane!" I giggled, showing her my attempted origami. It wasn't so horrible, but it certainly wasn't a work of art. But my mother took it, smiling gently and her eyes reflected the sun. Her dark eyes and dark hair were just like the other Uchiha's, as was my father.

I was the odd one out… And I didn't know why I was cursed with my abnormal appearance.

"Why aren't you playing with the other kids? You should really start making some friends, Yuki. You will be entering the ninja academy soon." My mom said gently, stroking my short white hair as she guided me through the streets. I looked down in shame. Most people weren't like my parents. I was a disgrace to the Uchiha clan, who was not wanted here.

"Niisan*, what's wrong with that girl?" I heard a young boy, about my age, ask while pointing at me. I knew exactly what he was talking about. I bit my lip, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

I was born with soft, white, large cat ears. And a fluffy long white cat tail.

I truly was an outcast of the Uchiha society.

"Sasuke, don't point. You know that's rude." His brother scolded, patting his head as he looked at him.

"I'm sorry about my little brother. He's still young." The boy continued, shifting his dark eyes, not to my mom, but to me.

I stared at him in surprise, my eyes wide. Most people avoided directly speaking to me. His smile was kind, like my mothers. Who was this person?

"My name is Itachi, and this is Sasuke. We were on our way to get ice cream, do you want to join us?"

"Niisan! You can't invite her! She's weird!" Sasuke yelled childishly, pulling on Itachi's shirt. Itachi didn't waver in the slightest, and continued directing his gaze at me, still with his welcoming smile.

"Yuki, why don't you go? I actually do need to stop by work for a little while. Thank you, Itachi. I will pick her up before dinner." My mom thanked Itachi, nudging me towards them. I was still at a loss for words, so I was silent as I shuffled forward. My mom quickly left, walking towards the hospital where she worked.

"So, Yuki-chan is your name?" Itachi asked casually, walking with me on his right and Sasuke on his left.

"Umm… Yes." I said quietly. He was making me nervous with his kindness.

"How old are you?"

"I'm six."

"Oh, so the same age as Sasuke here." He gestured to Sasuke, who was only watching our conversation in silence. He didn't seem particularly fond of me.

"Do you plan on going to the ninja academy?" Itachi continued.

"Well… I guess so. My parents want me to. But… I don't know how to be a ninja…"

"Why don't I help you sometime? I need to prepare Sasuke anyways. You can join us, if you'd like to Yuki-chan."

"…." I thought of his suggestion, as we neared the ice cream place.

"Why do you have those?" Sasuke finally spoke, motioning to my ears and tail. He finally seemed to relax a little once we had our ice cream in hand.

"I don't know… I was born this way, I guess." I shrugged. Sasuke inched closer.

"Can I… Can I touch them?" He asked, blushing slightly. Itachi laughed, making Sasuke blush more.

"Sure, if you'd like to." I said, cautiously watching him.

He gently tugged on one of my ears, his eyes widening in fascination. He touched the tip of my tail before turning to grab his brothers hand.

"Niisan! You have to feel them! They're so soft!" Sasuke announced, smiling widely and dragging Itachi's hand towards my head. Me ears folded back, not used to all of this attention.

Itachi noticed my action, and he hesitated.

"May I?" Itachi asked, holding his younger brother back from my tail. I looked at him, before nodding quickly.

He tenderly ran his figures along my ears, making me shudder. This was the first time anyone had ever touched me kindly, except my family. And of course, it was two boys. How embarrassing.

Then he softly touched my tail, his eyes shining like Sasuke's did when he touched me before. They were thrilled. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't stop smiling.

It had been 3 weeks since I had first encountered Sasuke and Itachi. We had grown on each other. I suppose we didn't have much of a choice, because we spent almost every day together. My mom had started paying Itachi to baby sit me, so she could take more shifts at the hospital and help pay the bills. My father was often away on missions, so my mother insisted that someone needed to watch me. I didn't mind though. I enjoyed the brothers' company.

"Today, I will teach you two how to throw shuriken." Itachi said, taking us somewhere in the woods.

"But niisan! I already know how! I've been practicing!" Sasuke whined, pulling on Itachi's hand.

"Practicing will make you better, Sasuke. You should try to perfect it." Itachi patiently said, smiling at him. Sasuke huffed, pouting.

"This is how you hold it. Here, try." Itachi said, handing a shuriken to me and Sasuke. I gently gripped it, and it felt foreign to me.

Itachi showed me step by step how to throw it, while Sasuke practiced on the side.

Itachi was amazing! He threw it perfectly every time. Even Sasuke was good, he could at least hit the targets. I was too afraid to throw it.

I watched them with envy as they threw each shuriken. I could only wish to be as strong as them.

"Yuki-chan, what are you afraid of?" Itachi asked after about 20 minutes, after I repeatedly refused to throw my first shuriken.

"I'm afraid of hurting someone…" I admitted shyly, glancing away and biting my lip.

"Don't think of it like that. If you can perfect this, then you can use it to protect the people you love. You do want to protect the people you love, right?" He asked, encouraging me. I thought about it for a moment. Then, I nodded bravely, feeling inspired by his words.

I picked up a shuriken, braced myself, took a deep breath, exhaled, and threw it.

It hit just an inch left of the shuriken Itachi threw just a minute before. Itachi stared silently, eyeing where it had landed.

"Wow Yuki-chan! That was awesome! I knew you could do it!" Sasuke cheered, tweaking my ear. I blushed, and smiled a little at him.

"Keep practicing, once you two do this well I will teach you the next step." Itachi said, drawing our attention back to training.

For the rest of the evening, we practiced throwing the shuriken until we couldn't anymore. Then Itachi took us home, and we had a tea party until my mom returned to get me.

5 months went by. School had started, and I was mostly shunned by everyone. Except Sasuke, that is. A few people would say hello, but I was never invited to hang out outside of class. So I spent my days after school with Itachi and Sasuke.

Today was a Friday, so we were celebrating by baking cupcakes at their house while their father was at work. They were chocolate, with a caramel filling. I was decorating a handful of cupcakes with white caramel frosting with little pink candy Sakura flowers on top.

"I'll be right back, we should drink milk with these." Itachi said, washing his hands after he finished frosting his own cupcakes.

"Can I come, niisan?" Sasuke asked, covered in chocolate cupcake dough. Itachi smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to follow him.

"Okaasan*, can you watch Yuki for a moment? She looks pretty caught up in those cupcakes." Itachi asked his mom, who was just smiling and watching us all.

"Of course honey. Don't be too long!" She said, sending them off to the store.

I was concentrating so hard on making my cupcakes beautiful that I didn't notice 10 minutes later when the door opened again.

"What is this… THING doing in my house?" I heard a loud, angry voice ask. I looked up from my handiwork, to find myself staring at a strange man glaring at me.

"Oh dear… This is Sasuke and Itachi's friend, Yuki-chan. They just wanted to bake some cupcakes…" Mikoto said, glancing at me nervously. Who was this man to make Sasuke and Itachi's mom so worried?

"No such CREATURE will be allowed in my house!" He raged, drawing closer to me. This must be their father, Fugaku… I was warned to avoid him, by Itachi. I shrank under his gaze, shifting my eyes to look anywhere but at him.

"Father… I see you've returned." Itachi said, from behind Fugaku. His voice was cold, and so were his eyes. When did he get here?

Sasuke was now next to Mikoto, holding the milk, his eyes wide in fear for me.

"Itachi… You will not see this child any longer. Do you understand me?" Fugaku demanded, his glare hardening at me. I stared at him, confused.

"Why?" Itachi challenged. His voice was stern. This wasn't the kind Itachi I was used to.

"You DARE question me?" Fugaku threatened, turning towards him, raising his fists.

Why didn't Itachi move?

Why didn't he stop him?

Panic flooded through my veins, and time seemed to stop all together. I could hear my heart pound through my ears, but I felt frozen.

'_Go.'_

A voice in my head pushed me, her voice sounding patient and ready.

I did as she said.

-Itachi's POV -

I watched my father turn his attention from Yuki, to me.

This was good. She was safe from his wrath.

I would happily take whatever he was prepared to throw at me, as long as she would be safe.

He raised his fist. I didn't move. I knew it would be better to just accept this and get it over with.

I glanced past my father, towards Yuki. I watched her eyes. They were full with fear and confusion. Her innocent blue eyes could melt my soul, and I felt my heart warm knowing that I had saved her from this pain.

But then something changed.

It was only there for a brief, almost invisible second, but I had seen it.

Her eyes had flashed gold.

And then, she was gone completely.

I heard two dull 'thud' noises, and my eyes flashed back to my father.

The arm he had raised at me was pinned to the wall behind him. It was trapped there with two shuriken, one on each side of his arm, pinning his jacket to the wall. As a result, his arm was pulled back as well.

Yuki was in front of me, crouching. Her ears were back, and I swear I heard a faint growl escape her.

I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it…

I smiled.

-Yuki's POV -

I glared up at Fugaku, looking at where I had pinned his arm to the wall.

I was lucky that Itachi had insisted that Sasuke and I practice hard, or I would have messed that up.

Fugaku glared at me back, before he smirked. My glare hardened. He had almost hurt one of my two best friends, how dare he smile?

I feel a warm hand touch my own, and I almost jumped, surprised. Sasuke's innocent eyes were staring at me, worry written all over his face. He had snuck over to me during the commotion, to get my attention.

"Let's go outside." Sasuke whispered, although everyone could hear him in the silence. He pulled me away from the scene I had caused, leading me towards the door.

I glanced back at Itachi, and saw him smile as he watched us go. My heart swelled with pride that I had helped him, and I smiled back before turning to go away with Sasuke.

**Alright! That was Chapter One! I hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R!**

Niisan: Brother

Okaasan: Mother


	2. My snowflake

**Here's the second one! Hope you like it. ****J Ps. Sorry for skipping through their childhood so quickly. I want to get to the main plot, but you need background to get what's happening later!**

It had been one year since I had met Sasuke and Itachi, and they had changed my life for the better. I rarely went anywhere without at least one of them tagging along. They were my family now. It was the first day of my second year at the academy, and I walked there with Sasuke and Itachi on either side of me. I heard whispers and saw parents glare at me as we walked through the streets, but I chose to ignore them. I was stronger than I used to be, and it didn't bother me as long as I had Sasuke and Itachi's support.

"Are you nervous?" Itachi asked me and Sasuke, as we neared the entrance.

"No! Why would I be?" Sasuke defended, probably a little too loud. My ears flicked in annoyance, and I saw both of them smile as they watched them twitch.

"What about you, Yuki-chan? Are you nervous at all?" Itachi asked when I didn't answer. I stayed quiet, still denying him an answer.

Itachi stopped walking, and after a few more feet we also stopped walking, looking back at him. He stepped forward and crouched down to my eye level and smiled gently. I eyed him nervously.

"You have no need to be nervous, Yuki-chan. You will always have us to protect you." He reassured me, before leaning forward and brushing his lips against my forehead. I felt my face get hot, and my heart flutter as he pulled away.

"Hey! Stop that, niisan!" Sasuke said fiercely, pulling me away from Itachi and into class. I looked back and saw Itachi watching us go inside, smiling as always.

-After Class-

I walked in silence next to Sasuke, and we were alone. It wasn't often that we were alone, but I wasn't uncomfortable because of that.

Itachi couldn't walk us home today, and Sasuke had seemed unhappy all day since we had said goodbye to Itachi.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" I asked gently. I knew how easy it was to upset him sometimes.

"Whatever." He mumbled, refusing to look at me.

He started walking in a different direction, and I followed. Soon, we somehow found ourselves in front of my house. As I turned to go inside, Sasuke grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I looked back at him, shocked.

"You're my best friend, okay? I don't want Itachi to think you're his. You're mine." Sasuke said, determination in his eyes. I smiled at him kindly, before pulling him closer and kissing him on the cheek.

"Of course, Sasuke." I said, giggling slightly. Then I turned and walked in my house, leaving a stunned Sasuke behind.

-10 months later-

I sat alone at a park. Recently, Itachi was so caught up with ANBU missions and meetings that he didn't have time for us anymore, and Sasuke was busy trying to get him back in our life. I hung my head, somewhat sad to have no one with me on this special day.

I felt a tear trickle down my cheek.

I was alone. And it was my 8th birthday.

After an hour of wallowing in my own self pity, I finally stood. It was only noon, but I was already tired. Today was not going well at all, and I had a weird feeling in my gut that it would only get worse. I heard someone move behind me, and I swiftly spun and pulled out a kunai.

"You're getting fast, Yuki-chan." I heard Itachi chuckle, and I relaxed. I looked up at him, and he smiled his always kind smile at me. I smiled back, and hugged him without warning.

"I've missed you, Itachi-san." I breathed into his chest. I really had missed him. I felt some tears spill down my cheeks and onto his shirt. I pulled away quickly, so I wouldn't get him wet. He crouched down to my height, and wiped my tears with his thumbs.

"Don't cry Yuki-chan. You will always have us around, even if we go away for a while. Also," He continued, pulling out a small box from his pocket, "Happy birthday."

I smiled happily, and took the box and opened it. Inside was two silver necklaces. Each one had a snowflake and a flame charm, laying next to one other. They were delicate, and beautifully made. I gasped as I gently held them in my small hands.

"I wanted to get something we could both wear to show that we'll be connected, no matter how far we are, no matter how busy I get." Itachi explained. "The flame represents me, and the snowflake represents you… Because you're unique and beautiful, who shines even among the darkness." I felt my face turn pick with his compliment, and I gently helped him clasp one of the necklaces around his neck.

"Thank you so much Itachi-san!" I said, thrilled by the gift. I turned so he could put my necklace on my neck, which he promptly did. His fingers softly grazed the skin of my neck. I shivered at his touch.

"I have to go now, but I wanted to give you this. I'm going on a mission tonight, and I might not be able to see you for a long time. But if you ever miss me, just wear this and remember… You're my snowflake." Itachi said, his dark eyes meeting my own bright eyes. His eyes bore into mine, as if memorizing my face. I felt a blush slowly creep to my cheeks.

Then, without warning, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Take care of Sasuke for me, while I'm gone, ok?" He asked softly. I nodded, not very thrilled to be alone again so soon.

Then, he turned and left without another word.

Just before he was out of sight, he turned his head back and looked at me with sadness, and touched his necklace. I touched mine in response and smiled softly at him.

And then, he was gone.

I looked back at the ground, biting my lip in sadness, before returning home. Once I was there, my mother made me a birthday lunch, and my father awkwardly tried to sing happy birthday to me. I laughed as my mom plugged her ears while he sang, before joining him in the song to myself. I loved my parents. I could feel my spirits lifting just by being in their presence.

"We have to run to the hospital to check on one of daddy's friends who just got back from a mission, but we will be back tonight, okay Yuki?" My mom told me, after my birthday celebration was basically finished. I nodded, still happy from the previous fun.

"We love you honey! Take care while we're there. See you soon!" My father bellowed, his arm around my mom's waist.

"Bye mom and dad! Love you! Don't worry, I'll be super safe!" I shouted after them as they left, waving frantically. Then I went back inside, and rested on my bed and tenderly touched my new necklace.

Only an hour had gone by when I heard a knock at the door. I quickly ran downstairs, eager to see who it would be, and was surprised to see Sasuke standing nervously.

"Hi Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?" I asked, smiling at him. He blushed.

"I wanted to bring you this birthday present, Yuki-chan. Happy birthday." He said, blushing more as he handed me a small bag. I pulled out what was inside, and found a picture frame. It was black, with a silver cat on the top right corner. The picture inside was of me jumping on Sasuke's back, smiling, while he looked back at me surprised slightly blushing.

"This is great Sasuke-kun! Thank you so much!" I said, hugging him. He hugged me back firmly for a few moments, before pulling away.

"I kind of have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He asked, staring at me. He gave me the same expression that Itachi had given me earlier. I felt myself smiling, happy that they missed me as much as I missed them.

"Of course!" I giggled. He smiled back at me, before turning to leave. I watched him go from the door, before going back to my room and placing his gift on my night stand. Then, I flopped on my bed, and laid down to take a quick nap.

When I woke up, I was surprised to find that it was already nighttime. Why had no one woken me up? I walked downstairs, stretching my arms above my head.

"Weird…" I said, listening intently for any sign of my parents being home. Even with my sensitive ears, I found that it seemed strangely quiet. Too quiet.

I pulled on a black shirt and some black shorts with my weapons pouch, before exiting my house carefully. I needed to figure out where my parents were. I couldn't shake my bad feeling about today, and today was not yet finished. I walked the back way, nervous to be alone on the streets at night. I heard nothing.

Where was everyone?

As I continued my walk towards the hospital, a gentle breeze started. I stopped immediately. My nose twitched, and even without my cat like smelling, I could've been able to tell what I was smelling.

Blood.

I drew stiff with fear. Where was it coming from? I turned towards where I was smelling it, and entered the streets slowly. It was everywhere. It was overpowering my senses. I saw dead bodies all through out the street and my pulse raced. Was anyone alive?

My heart stopped. Mom, dad, Itachi, Sasuke… Where were they? Were they alive?

I took off in a dead sprint towards the hospital, running faster than I ever thought I could.

'_Save them.' _I could hear the voice in my head return. It pushed me on, giving me strength and speed.

I stopped midway through my way to the hospital, and fell to my knees. In front of me, obviously on their way to my house, were my parents. They had slashed across their necks, with a few other wounds around their chests.

I threw up, tears pouring from my eyes.

They were laying in the street, blood everywhere, hands reaching for each other even in death.

The scent of their blood filled my nose, and I felt my head start to spin.

"Mom… Dad… Why? Who did this? WHO DID THIS?" I shrieked, my tiny fists pounding on the ground.

"No…" My sobs echoed through the corpse filled streets.

Suddenly, I felt something hard hit my head, and blackness began to take over.

As the world darkened, the last thing I saw was the shine of a silver necklace upon the neck of my attacker.

**I know I rushed this one, and it was kind of dark, but it needed to be done… We may see more of Yuki's past as she gets older, but for now, this will explain her future. Hope you liked it! Please R&R!**


	3. A new life

**Sorry for the late update! I've been super busy with classes, studying, and packing. I'm leaving for Japan next month! Which is actually good news for you all, because while I'm waiting for my boyfriend when he's in his classes, I can write new chapters! Anyways, here's the newest chapter. Enjoy!**

I opened my eyes slowly, absorbing the bright light. I was in a room. A small, white room with flowers on the table next to me. I squinted as I examined my surroundings. Was this a hospital room? I knew the scent well, from when I used to follow my mother to work.

My heart ached painfully as I recalled how she would scold me for being noisy as she worked, or when we would go for picnics during her lunch break. Fresh tears slid noiselessly down my cheeks, slightly stinging my sensitive flesh. I would never relive those memories. I would never see my mom again, and hear her loving voice…

The door creaked open, and my swollen blue eyes flashed in that direction. Slowly, Sasuke peeked his head in. His eyes were red and puffy, and he was trembling as he approached me.

"Yu… Yuki…" He whispered, eyes brimming with tears. I said nothing, but scooted over on my bed and patted the now open spot. Sasuke climbed up and laid down next to me. We rolled onto our sides, so we were facing each other, our eyes darkened with disbelief from the previous night.

"Yuki… How could he..? How could he do this? Why did he spare us?" Sasuke asked, slow tears rolling down his face.

"I don't know, Sasuke-kun…" I whispered, barely audible, "But I will get revenge…"

"Do you really think you can kill…" He took a deep breath, mentally preparing to say his name, "Itachi?"

My heart stopped.

Did he just say…?

No.

It's not possible.

Not… Not Itachi. He couldn't do something this horrible.

He couldn't take away everything we knew and loved…

Could he..?

I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart. Sasuke wouldn't lie about something like this.

This was my new reality.

Sasuke watched me with a sad frown as I took in this new information. He probably could tell by my expression that I didn't know who the murderer was, until now.

"Yuki…" Sasuke whispered softly, catching my attention. My eyes slowly looked up at him, meeting his dark, broken eyes.

"Are we going to be okay..?" He asked, his body shaking slightly as he considered being forced to have to start a new life, without our family and friends.

His eyes shut tightly, holding back tears. Suddenly, he felt something warm against him, and his eyes snapped open in surprise. He looked down and saw a mass of white hair against him.

My ears were laying backwards so that I didn't poke his face with them on accident as I embraced him.

I pressed my face against his chest, dampening his shirt with my new tears. His heart was beating somewhat quickly, from sadness or surprise, I don't know.

I felt his arms pull me closer to him, so our bodies were pressed together as we lay on the small hospital bed. Our silent tears fell freely now, as we clung to each other with our shared pain.

We stayed like this for many minutes, until we had no tears left to shed.

I pulled away from him, and looked up at him. Our faces were blotchy, and I could barely keep my eyes open because my eyes were so swollen and heavy from crying.

"We will be okay, Sasuke-kun. We have each other, right?" I said, a small smile pulling on my lips.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

What? Did he think I would just abandon him after everything that had happened? I needed him now more than ever, and I don't doubt that he felt the same. After thinking for a moment, he relaxed and pulled me back to him, hugging my small shoulders.

"We'll always have each other."

I smiled at his words, before I was overtaken by a dreamless sleep.

The next day, I was placed in a home with a jounin to watch over me. Sasuke and I weren't living together. I couldn't honestly say I expected to be placed in a home with him, but I did hope that they wouldn't be so cruel as to separate us… We weren't that lucky.

I stared up at my new caretaker as we entered my new "home".

His name was Kakashi Hatake.

He was rather unusual. His hair was almost as white as mine. It was actually more of a silver color, but I kind of liked it. It made me feel more comfortable than constantly being surrounded by the dark haired Uchiha's. I didn't feel as though I stood out as much as I did before.

He wore a dark mask around his mouth, and covered one eye. I had no idea why, but I wasn't in a position to ask questions. He was kind enough to offer to care for me, so I accepted these odd qualities without a second thought.

He seemed like he was a kind person, regardless of these oddities.

However, he couldn't fill the gaping void in my heart.

"So… This is our home, Yuki-chan. Your bedroom is right down that hall, the second door on the right. Is there anything else you need at the moment?" Kakashi asked, his one visible eye gazing at me, somewhat interested in his new "child".

"No… Thank you so much Hatake-san." I said politely, bowing.

"Just Kakashi is fine, Yuki-chan." He said, blushing slightly out of embarrassment at the formality. I nodded, before grabbing my very full backpack and dragging it to my new room.

Inside my room was simple. There was a bed, and nightstand, and a closet. That was about it. I pulled my backpack up onto the bed, and paused. This was my new life. I sighed, sitting down on my bed next to my backpack. It was full of clothes and other important items that I was able to scrounge up from my house in the small amount of time I was given.

Tears began to form in my eyes again, as I remembered the events of just two nights ago. I shook my head vigorously, angrily squinting my eyes shut.

Next time I will be stronger.

Next time, I will _kill _him.

I snarled.

Then I blinked, surprised.

Did that really just come out of me?

'_Yes.'_

…

'Who are you?' I asked, slowly and cautiously. This wasn't the first time I've heard this voice in my head. It made me nervous.

'_Oh, my little Yuki. How can you know so little about yourself?' _She chuckled softly.

This voice was strange. It sounded like a woman. But… She sounded different. Almost… Inhuman. I shivered, even though it wasn't cold. Her voice was smooth, and coy. Under it, there was a tone of wisdom. She knew what she was talking about.

I didn't answer her, my thoughts confused. I was slightly happy when she didn't speak again for the rest of the day.

It had been more than four years since that dreadful day. I was now 12 years old, and I was widely unpopular with my schoolmates. Even Sasuke had turned his back to me.

Since I started living with Kakashi, Sasuke became more distant. He was never particularly unfriendly to me, but his visits to my new house slowly became less frequent. It was only a year after the massacre, when Sasuke ceased coming at all.

Soon after that, Kakashi seemed to pick up on my loneliness. I don't know if it was the constant following him around the house, my spontaneous sobbing sessions, or my new experiments with setting traps around the house that tipped him off on it, but soon he was dragging me everywhere with him to get me out of the house.

I actually really enjoyed spending my time with Kakashi. He would pull me by my hand around town, showing me his favorite places to go, the best food, and introducing me to his peculiar friends.

In the evenings, a few hours before the sun went down, he would lead me to a small clearing in the forest and push me to train harder every day. By the end of every training session, sweat would be dripping off of me from every part of my body, and I would be struggling slightly to walk.

I enjoyed our evenings together more than anything else I did. Feeling my heart race as I challenged myself, feelings Kakashi's encouragement, and struggling to become stronger so that no one could ever hurt me again… It was exhilarating. I know Kakashi used it as a distraction for me, so that I wouldn't fall into a depression, and after a time I realized that it was the perfect solution for my sadness.

Whenever I felt the pain of having Sasuke gone, I would train until my muscles ached and my brain was fuzzy from exhaustion. After I was finished, Kakashi would lightly carry me back to the house and I would bathe, to relax my burning muscles.

After a time, I started to notice the difference in my body. My arms and legs had firmed up, and my small abdominal muscles were slightly defined. It wasn't a massive difference, but being only 12 years old made it easier to notice the difference between me and my peers.

After all of that hard work, I have finally graduated from the academy. I smiled widely, racing home to show Kakashi my new forehead protector.

"Kakashi! Kakashi come look!" I shrieked, probably too loud, as I slammed the front door open. Breath was coming out in gasps, having pushed myself to run as quickly as my little legs could take me.

I heard light footsteps, and Kakashi turned the corner. His one eye glanced at my left arm, where I had tied my prize.

"Good job, Yuki." He praised, as his eye crinkled slightly with pride and happiness for his adopted daughter. I grinned at him.

"So, what do I get as a reward?" I mischievously asked, my grin widening.

"What would you like?" He sighed in defeat. He knew me well enough to know I wanted to celebrate.

I paused dramatically, as if thinking. I wasn't though. I already knew my dinner of choice.

"Sushi!" I screamed, running around and climbing on Kakashi's back. I felt his body shake slightly, as he chuckled.

"Alright Yuki. Your wish is my command!" He announced, as I mushed him to the best sushi restaurant in town.

He was my new family.

**So that's it for this one! I hope you all like it. I'll try to get another one out soon! Also, I may be starting a new story for Yu Yu Hakusho, with Hiei and/or Kurama. Let me know your opinions? ****J**


	4. New Beginnings

**Hi everyone! Again, I'm sorry for taking so long to update! Everything has been crazy for the last many months… I'll do my best to stay up to date from now on!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited my story! I'm soo glad you like it so far. ****J If you have any suggestions, don't be shy about telling me what you want to happen in the story! I'll try my best to incorporate it!**

**Also, now that we're to the actual story, don't expect everyone to say direct quotes or include EVERYTHING that was in the manga/anime. It gets kind of repetitive and boring if I do it that way and, quite frankly, I don't even remember the direct quotes from the beginning of the series anymore. :3**

**Here's Chapter 4! Enjoy!**

My blue eyes matched the clear blue skies today, and I smiled as I sluggishly made my way to class. Today was the day we are told who will be on our teams, and we get to finally meet our squad leaders. Maybe the good weather was a sign that today would be a good day? I grinned more. I could only hope so.

Opening the door to class, I noticed that I was the last one there. At least, I'm pretty sure that was the case. It was hard to tell who was there because everyone was swarmed around Sasuke and Naruto, who were both gagging and screaming various profanities. The girls in the room were advancing on Naruto, cracking their knuckles and growling.

"Did I miss something?" I asked quietly to the person sitting closest to me. As it was, it happened to be Shikamaru.

"Not really. Just Naruto being troublesome. Again.." He mumbled, glancing up at me. I smiled at him, before making my way down to the seat next to Sasuke.

I was shocked to see that no one had sat there already. More often then not, Sakura and Ino (and various other girls) would compete for the seat long before class had even started. This was the first time that I've seen an empty seat next to him.

I plopped down next to him, and rested my head on the desk. The silence between us stretched on, and neither of us were about to break it.

Not like that would stop raging fan girls, though.

"What do you think you're doing, freak?!"

My ear flicked in annoyance as Ino's loud voice filled the room. Of course, it was directed at me.

I didn't move. Why should I? She didn't deserve my attention anyways.

"Did you not hear me? With those stupid ears, you should be able to hear everything!" She shrieked.

My eyes turned to her lazily, and I saw almost every girl in class behind her, fuming at me.

"What do you want?" I asked, tired of their negative attention. Really, this was getting old.

"Are you stupid AND ugly? We want you to move!"

I sighed. This was truly ridiculous. I turned my attention from her, towards the dark haired male besides me. He seemed to be ignoring everyone, as usual.

"Sasuke, do you mind me sitting here? No? I didn't think so." I asked, with heavy sarcasm directed at Ino.

I rested my head on the desk once again, and I heard her turn to her friends and start trash talking me immediately. I paid them no mind, as Iruka-sensei walked in.

"Take a seat, everyone!" He said loudly, and everyone shuffled to their seats. He continued, "Alright, as you all know, today is the day you find out who will be in your squad! There will be 3 people on every team, except for one team that will have 4 members. Here are the teams!"

As Iruka announced the teams, I found myself drifting off into my own thoughts. I wonder what ninja life will be like… Will I become stronger? Will my teammates be strong? What about our leader?

I shook my head, clearing my head of these thoughts. I focused my attention on Iruka once again, catching up with what he had said.

"Team 7, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha." I smiled in amusement as they expressed their mixed emotions. I watched Sasuke from the corner of my eye, and saw him shut his own dark eyes.

"…And Yuki Hatake." I jumped in surprise, and everyone gasped. So I was the 4th member.

I saw Sasuke's eyes flash open, and he glanced at me. I met his eyes, and he glared at me forcefully.

I felt myself go cold at his stare, and the sudden desire to go train overwhelmed my senses. I focused on it, and gently laid my forehead on the desk. I just needed to wait until class was over.

Class was over. Everyone had cleared out, except for my team. We were still waiting for our new leader. I felt myself become more tense the longer I was surrounded by this odd group. Naruto was setting up a trap for our assigned jounin, Sakura was making a fuss about it, and Sasuke was watching in silence. I gazed out the window, dreading the next years with this team. Hopefully the jounin wasn't going to be as strange as we were.

I heard movement outside of the door, and turned slightly to watch the door creak open.

_*thump*_

Kakashi gazed at the four of us with irritation as Naruto's "trap", the eraser, landed on his head.

"My first impression of you all…" He started, "…I hate you."

I felt myself sweat drop as my ears folded against my head, and we were instructed to follow my adopted father.

We sat in a semi-circle once we got out. I was seated between Sasuke and Kakashi, and Sasuke shifted uncomfortably away from me. I gave him a dirty look.

"Alright, why don't we start by introducing ourselves. What we like, dislike, dreams… That sort of thing." Kakashi told the four of us, looking only slightly interested.

"What do you mean? Show us first." Sakura complained.

_Isn't she supposed to be the smart one? _I pondered, annoyed, as I looked back to Kakashi. He sighed, and then began. Actually, it was really pointless to even ask him to do such a thing. I knew he wouldn't reveal anything about himself to them, and I was proven correct. Of course, Sakura and Naruto complained about this.

"Why don't you go first." Kakashi said, ignoring them, as he gestured to Naruto.

"Well, I like ramen! My favorite type of ramen is…" I tuned him out, but continued to examine him. Naruto had short, spiky, blonde hair and his eyes were also blue. Not quite like my own, but his were a few shades darker. He also had sun kissed skin, which made me wonder how much time he spent outside. Overall, he seemed pretty happy and outgoing. Maybe slightly stupid and annoying as well… I raised my eyebrow, noticing he was still going on about ramen.

Finally, Sakura was next.

"Well, the thing I like… Actually the person I like…" She blushed and eyed Sasuke, before giggling and continuing, "And my dreams for the future…" She trailed off again and repeated her previous actions, "And what I hate… NARUTO!" She yelled the last part, completely changing her personality. I jumped slightly when she yelled at the poor kid.

Sakura wasn't so bad to look at, honestly. She had bubblegum pink hair, and sparkling green eyes. She was slightly tan, but not overly so. I didn't think she would be that bad, if only she could get her head out of Sasuke's butt. I sighed, before turning my attention to Sasuke as he began introducing himself as well.

"I dislike most things, and I don't particularly like anything, except one person…" I swear, Sakura almost fainted at that, "And my dream isn't a dream because I am going to make it a reality. My goal is to kill a _certain someone_… And to revive the Uchiha clan." He finished, darkly. I turned my gaze from him, old feelings stirred as he mentioned _that _night. I hid them from my team, but I could feel Kakashi's eyes on me in worry.

I knew it was my turn now. I cleared my throat slightly, and turned to face my team.

"My name is Yuki. I like training, sushi, and my adopted father, Kakashi here," I paused as Naruto and Sakura exclaimed their surprise, "I dislike people who betray others, and dogs. And my goal is to find a _certain someone _(I imitated how Sasuke referred to Itachi, just to irritate him), and become the strongest kunoichi in the ninja world." I finished, satisfied. No one spoke, but I could feel Sasuke's glare on my side at my reference to Itachi. I refused to look at him.

"Alright. I think that's enough for today. Meet back here at 6 am tomorrow morning. Oh, and you shouldn't eat breakfast. You'll throw up." Kakashi said, before walking away. It didn't look like he was headed towards the house though, so I assumed I was free to do as I pleased until I wanted to return home.

"Sasuke, do you want to go to dinner?" Sakura asked sweetly, clinging to Sasuke's arm. I rolled my eyes and turned to leave while Sasuke refused her behind me.

The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 am just to discover that Kakashi wasn't even awake yet.

_He's not going to be even remotely on time…_ I thought, sighing. I decided to stay awake anyways, and I quickly got ready. I brushed my now-long soft white hair and put on some semi-short black shorts (with a hole cut for my tail to slide through) and a tight, black net tank top, with a navy blue, short sleeve jacket over it that showed part of my mid-drift. Not the most concealing outfit, but I did not care in the slightest. What kind of ninja wanted to sweat to death in a full body outfit? Not me.

After changing, I made a quick breakfast for myself and Kakashi, and left his on the table while I munched on my toast and walked around the town.

I walked by our meeting place and saw the other members of my team waiting. And they weren't waiting patiently.

"He's an hour late! Where is Kakashi?!" Naruto complained, and Sakura agreed with him for once. Sasuke, as usual, ignored the two of them.

"He won't be here any time soon, just so you know." I warned them as I approached them. They turned to face me, and Sasuke opened his eyes slightly at my arrival.

"How do you know?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

I sweat dropped. Did she seriously already forget that I live with him? I chose to ignore her instead of gracing her with an answer, and let her think it over.

"Well, I for one am not going to wait here. See you in two hours!" I smiled at them, and waved before turning and walking slightly into the forest. If I had to wait, I might as well go for a walk and enjoy being outside. I was tired of being in town anyways.

I heard them debate leaving as well, until I was out of hearing range. I had to be about a mile away by then, or my large ears would have picked up on their constant arguing.

The forest got a little thicker, and all I could hear was birds and various other forest animals running about. I sighed happily. I loved escaping the world sometimes, even if only for an hour.

I shut my eyes for a moment, before I heard a twig snap. My eyes shot open, and I searched frantically for where I had heard the noise.

Before I could even turn my head, I was pushed forcefully against a large tree behind me.

I glared up at Sasuke's dark eyes, who was glaring just as forcefully back. He had his forearm against my neck, pressing slightly, while his other arm provided a barrier to keep me still.

"_What?!_" I hissed at him, feeling my anger rise. This was unacceptable!

"Why are you looking for Itachi?" He demanded, anger in his voice.

"Seriously? You're mad about that?" I asked, both surprised and pissed that he would throw such a tantrum about my statement from yesterday.

He didn't move or answer, but pressed on my neck slightly, demanding an answer.

"I want answers." I growled at him, still glaring.

"You don't _need_ answers. You have…" He trailed off, and my ears twitched in annoyance.

"What? I have what?" I asked, eyes narrowing at him in frustration.

"Me."

"Excuse m-" I started, enraged, before I was silenced as his lips crashed against mine.

I pushed against him, but he refused to move. He moved the arm at my neck around to my back and he used his hand to hold the back of my head gently in place so I wouldn't pull away. He pulled away momentarily and took a breath, before pushing his lips against my own again.

This wasn't right.

This was the boy who had left me in my time of need. The boy who's brother killed my family. Nothing about this was supposed to be happening.

But I still couldn't stop myself as my lips finally moved against his in return. After a few moments passed, Sasuke pulled away slowly.

"That is how my first kiss was supposed to happen." He commented quietly, his eyes more gentle.

"What?" I asked, confused. Did he already have his first kiss?

"Nothing." He said, shaking his head with a frown. He stepped back from me so that we weren't touching at all anymore, and I felt myself shiver at the sudden breeze I felt.

"I'll see you in an hour," Sasuke said, glancing at me one last time, before he leapt into a tree and made his way back towards our meeting place.

I sighed, leaning back against the tree that was still behind me, and shut my eyes.

This was going to be a troublesome team.


End file.
